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Staff Ground Software Engineer Lead the design and implementation of next‑gen Mission Control ground systems

Location: Irvine, California

Compensation: $175,000 - 225,000 USD / year

About The Role Staff Ground Software Engineer

Turion is developing the critical infrastructure of the space economy. We're doing this by building vertically integrated hardware and software: DROID, our line of space vehicles, and Starfire, our software suite covering simulation, modeling, planning, and operations. We're a group of people who fell in love with the future sci‑fi promised us, and we're building it into reality. We build hard things. We build them well. And we're just getting started.

As a Staff Ground Software Engineer, you will play a key role in defining, designing, and building the next generation of Mission Control systems that spacecraft operators rely on every day. These systems enable teams to command real satellites, process high‑volume downlinks from orbit, and make split‑second decisions that directly impact missions worth millions of dollars and hardware traveling at over 17,500 mph.

In this role, you will work across the full software lifecycle: shaping overall architecture, setting technical direction, building core services, and mentoring engineers as we scale our capabilities. You will tackle some of the hardest challenges in modern distributed systems, including:

• Scale: designing systems that handle massive telemetry streams, high throughput, and globally distributed operations.
• Speed: optimizing end‑to‑end latency so operators can react to spacecraft events in real time.
• Availability: ensuring mission‑critical services remain resilient, fault tolerant, and highly reliable under all conditions.
• Observability: building the tools, metrics, and instrumentation that give operators and engineers deep insight into system behavior.
• Security: protecting command paths, data flows, and operational workflows against evolving threats in a domain where safety and integrity are paramount.

You will collaborate closely with mission operators, flight software engineers, and cross‑functional teams to ensure our ground systems are intuitive, robust, and ready for missions of increasing complexity. As a senior technical leader, you will help set best practices, elevate engineering quality, and contribute to a culture of innovation and operational excellence. This is a full‑time, exempt position based on‑site at our office in Irvine, California.

What You’ll Actually Build:

• Architect an industry scale platform for the future of spacecraft operations
• Build real‑time systems that visualize satellite constellations, predict orbital mechanics, and automate complex mission sequences
• Create interfaces that let operators control multiple spacecraft simultaneously with the ease of managing cloud infrastructure
• Build reusable modules and platform capabilities that scale across multiple customer missions

The Commercial Space Platform:

• Evolve Turion's systems from internal tools into industry‑defining products used by government and commercial partners.
• Architect uplink/downlink processing systems that handle terabytes of data daily
• Create the infrastructure for mission planning across constellations—coordinating Earth observation, non‑Earth imaging, and communications satellites
• Build intuitive product workflows that scale from a single spacecraft to multi‑orbit fleets, we will be the platform every space company will use to operate their missions

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the software engineering process from concept to orbit‑ready systems, setting technical direction for products that operate spacecraft
• Mentor and guide teams of engineers building some of the most complex software on (and off) Earth
• Engage with satellite operators and mission planners to understand their needs, turning space operations challenges into elegant software solutions
• Architect mission‑critical systems including next‑gen Mission Control, Autonomy platforms, AI/ML integrations, & data pipelines
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams including Astrodynamics, Flight Software, Hardware, AI/ML researchers, and spacecraft operators
• Drive architectural decisions for systems that must be more reliable than traditional tech—there's no re‑deploying a satellite
• Deliver solutions that simplify space operations, making controlling satellites as intuitive as deploying to AWS

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, a related field, or equivalent practical experience
• 8+ years of software development experience, with a track record of leading projects or teams
• Expertise in back end development with a proven ability to design, build, and test complex systems
• Expertise in cloud‑native architectures and distributed systems
• Prior experience operating live commercial SaaS products
• Experience with on call for mission‑critical operations
• Eligibility for Top Secret (TS/SCI‑eligible) clearance

Preferred Qualifications:

• Active US security clearance
• Proficiency in Go
• Kubernetes expertise
• AWS expertise (EKS, EC2, Batch, S3, Lambda)
• Experience with data engineering and real‑time processing
• Passion for space exploration and building humanity's future beyond Earth

Staff Ground Software Engineer Salary:

$175,000 to $225,000 USD annually

Employees may be asked to support alternate shifts, extended shifts, and/or travel during peak work periods.

ITAR Requirements:

This position may include access to technology and/or software source code that is subject to U.S. export controls. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Benefits:

We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package designed to support the well‑being and professional growth of our employees. In addition to a competitive base salary and company stock, determined by factors such as job‑related knowledge, education, skills, experience, and market demand, full‑time employees are eligible for:

• Equity: Receive equity in Turion Space, letting you benefit from the company's success
• Health Insurance: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their dependents.
• Retirement Plans: Access to a 401(k) plan with a 3% Employer Direct Contribution to help you plan for your future.
• Paid Time Off: Generous vacation days, personal days, sick days, and holidays to ensure you have time to recharge.
• Parental Leave: Paid parental leave following the birth of a newborn or adoption.
• Emotional Wellbeing: A no-cost Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support you and your household's emotional health and wellbeing.
• Professional Development: Opportunities for ongoing internal training, workshops, and courses to advance your skills and career growth.
• Team Building Activities: Regular social events, team outings, and company-sponsored activities to foster a positive work environment.

We are dedicated to providing a supportive and enriching environment for our team members, recognizing that our collective success is built upon the well‑being and satisfaction of each individual.

Turion Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Turion Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.